Ranking every Bucks player based on how they performed in 2023-24 season

4. Brook Lopez

Lopez is in a similar spot as Portis. Despite not being as hated, he's been more questioned than ever, and it really feels like a lot of fans are ready to get rid of him. But again, even if you can't say there's no reason for that, his decline has been largely exaggerated.

This has probably been his worst defensive season since he got to the team (not counting 21-22, when he only played 13 games), but that doesn't mean it has been a disaster. In fact, taking a look at the numbers shows that he still has a great defensive impact, the team performs really good when he's on the floor and the best team lineups are the ones that have him on the field. He's still a top shot blocker and a pretty good interior defender, and we need to acknowledge that when discusing his season.

The problem with Lopez is that his presence makes the defense very unflexible, but that's not really his fault. Or, if I may express myself better, that's not really a problem with the way he's played this year. He was not at his best, but he's still being one of the most important Bucks players. The thing is, you might not want him to be one of the most important Bucks players from now on.

Having Lopez on the floor allowed the team to play only one defensive style, and when that style is countered, he can feel nearly unplayable. This is what happened against the Pacers, whose pick-and-roll game with Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner was a nightmare for him and made him the Bucks' player with the worst defensive rating through the series. But was that the case for the whole season? No. Not at all.